Taylor Women Secure 11th-Consecutive Crossroads League Title

Crossroads League Championships Central

UPLAND, Ind. – The No. 4 Taylor women's cross country team continued its dominance of the Crossroads League with its 11th-consecutive CL Title, posting a score of 33, which was over 50 better than the second-place team. 

The Trojans clocked a team time of 1:52:16, which set a new course record for the women's 6k. A team score of 33 was even more impressive as TU saw ten runners finish in the top 30. The weather was nice and cool, but strong winds made the TU XC farm course even more difficult than usual. 

Four Trojans received All-Crossroads League honors, as each of them finished in the top six of the race. Mollie Gamble led Taylor with a second-place finish with a time of 21:56.2. The next three Trojans crossed in fourth through sixth place as Noel VanderWall and Audrey Brinkruff clocked near-identical times of 22:23.0 and 22:23.1, finishing the race in stride with each other. Ahna Niedeck continued her improvement this season and was not far behind, with a time of 22:32.5. 

Rebekah Firestone was the fifth Trojan to cross the finish line in 16th at 23:01. The fifth-place team finish is the first of her career, and her overall finish also marks a best in purple and gray. Sam Patterson was one of three freshmen to clock a personal best, as the freshman ran a time of 23:37.3, which landed her in 27th. Joining her in setting new personal bests were Jessie McCoy at 23:59.1 and Addie Draper with a time of 24:33.8. Annika Erickson also had her best race, with a time of 24:46.3. 

The Trojans will gear up for the NAIA National Championships, taking place in Vancouver, Washington, on Saturday, November 17. Taylor is hoping to repeat as NAIA National Champions after taking home the red banner a year ago. The women are set to begin the race at 10:30 am.